JOHN Swinney has claimed a security briefing he was due to have on the Middle East conflict was “cancelled” because Douglas Alexander was not available to attend as a “babysitter”.
The First Minister said he had been expecting to speak to the deputy national security adviser on Thursday morning, but the briefing was pushed back by the UK Government.
He said he himself had been “available to do the briefing”, but told journalists there was a “suggestion that that briefing can only take place if the Secretary of State for Scotland [Douglas Alexander] is present”.
Swinney – who as part of his role is included in the Privy Council – branded that position “unacceptable”.
He said: “I am the First Minister of Scotland and I am a member of the Privy Council. I can handle sensitive information, and I don’t need to have a babysitter in the form of Douglas Alexander.”
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Speaking about the planned briefing, he told journalists: “That was cancelled by the United Kingdom Government yesterday, although I was available to do the briefing this morning, and would have been pleased to take part in that.”
His comments came as UK Defence Secretary John Healey said during a visit to Edinburgh that the First Minister had been offered a briefing over the use of Prestwick Airport in South Ayrshire – which is owned by the Scottish Government – by the US military.
Healey insisted the airport is not being used as a staging post for attacks on Iran.
“The airport’s a civilian airport,” the Defence Secretary said. “It’s owned by the Scottish Government, and it is simply not being used by the US for any of its strike operations on Iran.”
Asked if he would meet Swinney to discuss the issue, he said: “We’ve offered John Swinney a briefing. We’ll meet him and discuss that with him.
“But it’s his airport. It’s a civilian airport. It simply is not being used for any of the US strikes into Iran.”
The National told how Swinney told the SNP conference last weekend that an independent Scotland would ban the militaries of countries involved in “illegal conflicts”.
The First Minister has also suggested he would “consider” whether to potentially block US military aircraft from using the airport if they were found to be involved in the strikes on Iran.
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But on Thursday, he told MSPs during First Minister's Questions that it is a "matter of regret" that the Scottish Government is not legally able to do so, saying the necessary powers are reserved to Westminster.
In response to a question from Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay, he said: "If I was to prevent flights from entering Scotland by by the appropriate steps that would be necessary, I would need to exercise national security, aviation, air transport, defence and foreign affairs powers.
"These are all reserved to the United Kingdom Government."
He later added: "I cannot at the same time condemn the Israeli and United States intervention in the Middle East as being incompatible with international law, and then not follow the legal framework in which I have to operate as First Minister within the Scottish Parliament operating under the Scotland Act.
"It may be frustrating for me at times, and I assure Gillian Mackay in Parliament, it is immensely frustrating for me at this particular moment."
The UK Government has been contacted for comment.
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